NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-19-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

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Shea Stevens, NPR News Anchor Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump is accusing Ukraine of starting the war that began there nearly three years ago after a Russian invasion. The United States and Russia have begun talks on ending the conflict, as NPR's Danielle Kurchleben reports. Danielle Kurchleben, NPR News Anchor American and Russian delegations met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Ukraine was not invited to those talks, nor were Ukrainian allies in Europe. At a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, the president blamed Ukraine for the nearly

three-year-long war. And I think I have the power to end this war. And I think it's going very well. But today I heard, oh, well, we weren't invited. Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. Trump made similar comments on the campaign trail

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country will not recognize any peace deal made without their participation Danielle Kurtzleben npr news President trump says he's instructed the justice department to fire all federal prosecutors appointed during the Biden administration. Several have resigned over administration orders affecting other DOJ employees and operations. Some veterans of the agency say Attorney General Pam Bondi seems to be protecting DOJ workers who seem loyal to President Trump while targeting those he doesn't like. More from NPR's Carrie Johnson. Bondi seems to be focused on people who help bring cases against Donald Trump.

Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith wrote this week, this all seems to be doublespeak, part of a playbook to weaponize DOJ law enforcement like never before against Trump's perceived enemies. And the fear of many of my sources is that the DOJ will on one hand move to help Trump's friends get out of trouble and on the other use its vast powers of investigation and prosecution against people who have criticized the president. NPR's Carrie Johnson reporting. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says he plans to step down as NPR's Hansi LeWong reports.

DeJoy is set to end the controversial term that began during President Trump's first term. J.D. WOGAN In a public letter, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is asking the Postal Service Board of Governors to start looking for someone to replace him. It's not clear when DeJoy will step down, but he says in the letter he's committed to a transition that is, quote, the least impactful to the Postal Service and the American

people. DeJoy was appointed to lead the Postal Service during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has overseen the rise of voting by mail for two presidential elections. In 2021, DeJoy rolled out a 10-year reorganization plan in an attempt to bring financial stability to the postal system. Critics of the plan, however, say that consolidating mail processing centers and other changes have slowed service, especially in rural communities. Hansi Luang inPR News, Washington. Much of the nation is bracing for extreme cold overnight into Wednesday, and Arctic air mass is causing sub-zero temperatures from the upper Midwest and South all the way

to central Texas. This is NPR News. Aviation officials say weather conditions and human error will be considered in the probe into the Delta Airlines mishap in Toronto. A jet carrying 80 people from Minneapolis flipped upside down upon landing at Pearson Airport on Monday. Everyone on the jet survived. Four were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident was the fourth involving a U.S.-based carrier in less than one month. Brazil's attorney general has charged former president Jair Bolsonaro with attempting to overturn the country's 2022 election. As NPR's Kary Kahn reports, Bolsonaro has long denied the allegations. The attorney general accuses Bolsonaro of plotting a coup through violence and damage of federal property, as well as participating in a criminal organization. Thirty-three others were charged alongside the ex-leader, including his vice presidential running mate. The former far-right president narrowly lost his re-election bid to a current leader, Luisa

Nácio Lula da Silva. A week after Lula took office, supporters of Bolsonaro stormed the capital, Brasilia, ransacking government offices in the Supreme Court building on January 8. Bolsonaro has been barred from running for political office until 2030, stemming from other charges pending against him. It's now up to Brazil's Supreme Court to decide whether Bolsonaro will be arrested and put on trial. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. U.S. futures are flat in after hours trading on Wall Street.

On Asia Pacific markets, shares are mostly lower, but up a fraction in Shanghai. This is NPR News.